Atkinson, Ford in Senior Open for second year

Country Club of Charleston golfing friends Bert Atkinson and Frank Ford III will be participating in the U.S. Senior Open for the second consecutive year. The two amateurs will be traveling July 27-Aug. 2 to Crooked Stick in Carmel, Ind., site of the 1991 PGA Championship.

Atkinson punched his ticket to the Indianapolis suburb this week in sectional qualifying at Florence Country Club, where he fired a 6-under-par 64. He will be joined by Javier Sanchez of Tupelo, Miss., who shot 65 and beat out Steve Liebler of Irmo for the second spot from the Florence qualifier. Liebler is the first alternate and former PGA Tour golfer Mike Donald earned the second alternate spot.

Ford earned his spot last September by making it to the semifinals of the U.S. Senior Amateur, where he lost to U.S. Walker Cup captain Buddy Marucci.

In last year's Senior Open held at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colo., Atkinson tied for 52nd while Ford missed the cut.

Busy golf this week

Local golf fans will have plenty on their plate during the coming week with both the Al Esposito Junior and the Carolinas Amateur coming to town.

The 55th annual Al Esposito Junior tournament will be played Wednesday and Thursday at Charleston Municipal, with competition for boys and girls up to age 18. Last year, Michael Ouzts won the boys title with a 74-73—147, finishing two shots in front of Taylor Zoller. Anna-Raquel Robison won the girls title and the girls 13-14 age group, shooting a two-round total of 254.

The 95th Carolinas Golf Association Amateur Championship will be played Wednesday-Sunday at the Country Club of Charleston, where the CGA was founded. Golfers will compete Wednesday and Thursday in 36 holes of qualifying for 31 available match play spots. The 32nd spot belongs to Ben Kohles of Cary, N.C., who won last year's Carolinas Amateur at Cape Fear Country Club, defeating Kyle Wilson of Mount Airy, N.C., 3 and 2. Eighteen-hole matches will be held morning and afternoon on Friday and Saturday, with the two finalists meeting Sunday in a scheduled 36-hole match.

Hurricane Junior Golf Tour

Reed Kerwin of Mount Pleasant shot 75-73—148 to win the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour event played at Wild Dunes Resort. Jarrett Swan of Mount Pleasant and Doug Chickarello of North Charleston tied for fourth in the boys 16-19 age group at 155.

Logan O'Hara of Raleigh won the boys 13-15 age group, shooting 77-78—155. Jeff Chickarello of North Charleston was third at 171, while Malcolm Claxton of Mount Pleasant and Corey Martin of Mount Pleasant finished fifth and sixth. B.J. Grevey won the boys 10-12 age division, shooting 172.

Upcoming

--Aug. 8: Out Drive Diabetes Tournament benefiting Juvenile Diabetes, Shadowmoss Plantation, $60 per player, contact David Belknap at OutDriveDiabetes@yahoo.com.

--Aug. 20: S.C. Recreation and Parks Association Southern District Shootout, Shadowmoss Plantation, call (843) 769-8284 or (843) 763-4360 for information.

Reach Tommy Braswell at (843) 937-5591 or e-mail braswell@postandcourier.com. Also, check out Lowcountry Links at www.postandcourier.com/blogs.